End of a Sordid Saga

By Solomon Ibharuneafe
Monday, January 26, 2004

Respite finally came for the 1,000 stranded U-S bound passengers of Ritetime World Airways following the intervention of the Federal Government

Succour finally came to the more than 1,000 Ritetime World Airways passengers stranded at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, last week, as the Federal Government and World Airways airlifted them in batches at their own expenses. While the Federal Government stood in as guarantor for 42 passengers via Trans-Atlantic Airline, World Airways airlifted the rest in what it called a humanitarian relief independent of Ritetime Aviation.

Newswatch investigations revealed that the Federal Government was moved by the plight of the passengers who have been sleeping on the bare floor at the departure hall of the airport for about three weeks. The government then raised a seven-man committee headed by Fidelis Onyeyiri, director-general of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, committee to work out modalities for their airlifting within 24 hours. The Federal Government's effort paid off as World Airways offered to airlift most of the passengers at its own expense while Virgin Atlantic and Trans-Atlantic also offered to airlift some at the expense of Ritetime Aviation Services. When Newswatch visited the airport Tuesday, almost all the passengers had been airlifted.

In a message to the passengers, before their airlifting began January 18, World Airways said it was aware of the personal hardships experienced by the passengers as a result of the suspension of flight on behalf of Ritetime Aviation Services. It explained that the suspension of flight became necessary because Ritetime Aviation had refused to remit payment for flights already operated by World Airways. The company said though it was not legally binding for it to airlift the passengers, it had a moral obligation to return home those passengers whom the airline transported during the holiday season. "We are aware of how disruptive it would be to you and your families if today's flight did not operate," the statement added.

The Federal Government on its part absolved itself of any complicity in the crisis. Isa Yuguda, minister of aviation, who conveyed President Olusegun Obasanjo's message of sympathy to the stranded passengers, emphasised that World Airways was licensed by the U.S. government and designated on the New York - Lagos route in the spirit of the "Open Skies Agreement" between the two countries. He noted that the Federal Government was not involved in the selection of its business partner - Ritetime Aviation Incorporation.

Anger and frustration showed clearly on the faces of the stranded passengers, those Nigerians based in the United States of America, who came home to spend Christmas and New Year with their relations and friends. They got to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport to board the Ritetime World Airways flight for their return journey only to be told that their flights had been cancelled. The airline did not make any arrangement for their accommodation and feeding as done in other countries. They had to sleep on the bare floor of the departure hall with their little children for three weeks before respite came.

The atmosphere at the airport Thursday, January 15, became charged when the passengers threatened to burn down the airport if they were not airlifted to their bases. When Newswatch visited the airport that day, the passengers numbering more than 1,000 were seen chanting war songs while the women and children were openly weeping. They complained of hunger, sickness as a result of the development.

Mclord Obioha, a journalist and publisher of African Newsreel and Nigeria Today in New York, told Newswatch that the passengers had exhausted their patience and would do anything to attract government's attention to their plight. He said what Ritetime Aviation had done could not be tolerated in America and other civilised countries. According to Obioha, when an airline cancels its flight it quickly makes arrangements to accommodate and feed the passengers even if it is for a few hours. But the situation back here is not the same. He challenged Peter Obafemi, the chief executive of Ritetime Aviation Services, to explain to the world what he did with the money he realised from the sale of tickets that he could not pay $4 million to World Airways, its American partners but instead chose to subject responsible passengers to this inhuman treatment. He vowed to take Obafemi to court in America anytime he gets there "He knows he (Obafemi) cannot get away with this in the US," he said. According to him, more than 90 percent of the passengers would lose their jobs because American business does not require excuses. "If you miss a day, you are fired," he added.

Newswatch made attempts to speak with Peter Obafemi, the Ritetime World Airways chief executive, but his mobile phone was put on voice mail with the message. "Arrangements have been made to airlift the passengers January 13." Earlier the NCAA, the regulatory authority had directed the Ritetime World Airways to put all the stranded passengers in a standard hotel at its expense while making alternative arrangement to secure a plane for their airlifting back to the United States. The NCAA also directed the airline to stop the sales of ticket until the current problems were resolved.

But Newswatch learnt that the few passengers that were accommodated at a nearby hotel to the airport were chased out a few days later as the Ritetime Aviation Services could not pay the bills. This further infuriated the passengers and they went wild last week to draw the attention of government to their plight.

Sunny Igiebor, one of the passengers told Newswatch that World Airways was a reputable airline in the US. But the same cannot be said of Ritetime Aviation Services. He said if it were in the United States Obafemi would have been chatting with the police now for his crime against humanity. "Here in Nigeria everything goes," he said.